Harvesting Hope for Indigenous Women in Nicaragua

When our partner, Rose Cunningham from Nicaragua (pictured above) was in New York for an annual UN meeting on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, we gave MADRE supporters the chance to ask her some questions.

Many of you asked Rose to talk about her work to combat the challenges her community faces, to share recent wins and her future goals. We raised these questions with Rose, and she spoke about Harvesting Hope. Because of your generosity, women in Rose’s community are gaining valuable skills and becoming leaders in their communities! Here’s what she had to say.

In my remote, coastal community in Nicaragua, many families struggle to feed their families. Food is scarce. Harvesting Hope, our local women’s farming collective, helps. We train women in organic farming. We have seed banks that protect our seeds from storms and floods. And we arrange farmers markets so that women can sell their crops and raise money. This all helps women grow food for their families.

But, it also does more than that. That’s because we work in a comprehensive way. When women are able to provide for their family, it also helps them feel more powerful. What we see is that these women are now raising their voices in their communities.

For example, Albertina is a farmer in my community. She grows vegetables, beans and rice. When she first started with Harvesting Hope, she was timid. She stayed at home and did what her husband told her to do. But as she started getting more involved in Harvesting Hope, her confidence grew. Now, she is recognized a leader in her community.

Just two weeks ago, I was at a meeting in the village to talk about installing a pipe for running water, and there was Albertina, negotiating for her community! It’s amazing to see how women change when we get together and begin working. We need to keep working hard for our families, our communities, our environment, our future. And together, we will.

- Rose Cunningham, Wangki Tangni